Grandma Edith

Grandma Edith passed away Monday morning. She was 95. Derrik will be attending the service in Colorado next Thursday.

Cousins

I only wish I had MORE pictures of them....so precious!

Cozumel

We went to Cozumel on Wednesday and took the ferry over. What a neat experience! Lots of shops to look in and things to buy. With many breakable items on shelves, Ashton stayed outside with me! We visited a McDonalds playland (we can't seem to stay away from those!) and took in lunch where an authentic Mariachi band came and played for us!

Mexico Part 1

We made it! LAX to CANCUN

We had a great trip to Mexico this last week! It seems like a dream. If only we could just live down there and be pampered all the time! Here are some highlights from our trip down....I'm going to post a few everyday so I can digest it slowly. :)

Lemonade stand

We had a lemonade stand this afternoon! The boys were excited about it and have been after us for awhile to let them have one. They even stood in the heat(note the pink cheeks) and flagged down passing cars. I was impressed at their enthusiasm! We set it up by the community pool where the most traffic flows. Ashton and I made trips up and down the hill with fresh lemonade. After two hours, the boys were done. They topped off the adventure by going for a swim.

Father's Day pool party

We celebrated Derrik with dinner at the pool last weekend! We also pulled out all the stops with gifts, homeade cards and even sleeping in! He and the older boys have made up a game in the water that I'll post at the end.



They love the pool!



Ashton found an ant and decided to follow it.

Santa Clarita Valley 3rd grade play

We watched all of the 3rd grades at the school put on a play about the history of the area yesterday. Ethan had a line and did a nice job, as usual. Cameron was in class but got to see it the day before. Here are some photos of our time there.

When is this going to be over so I can run around?

Tomorrow is the last day of school so we are jazzed about starting our summer! We're also looking forward to seeing all of you very soon! Love you!

Ashton and his stickers

Ashton loves counting. Ashton loves stickers. Cameron helped him with his two loves today by decorating his t-shirt with stickers for Ashton to count. I need to remember to pull them all off before I wash it.

I don't understand why, but he really enjoys sticking his tongue out when I take his picture!

Open House at Helmer's Elementary

The older boys had open house tonight at school. The teachers display all the artwork and stories the kids have created. They have two weeks of school left and as you can imagine, are ready to be done! Here are the boys with their teachers.

Cameron with Mrs. Williams

Ethan and Mrs.Vasquez with baby Brooklyn

Cameron with his entry for the art fair.

The trash sculpture Cameron and I created earlier this year that we now get to take home.

Birthday/Mother's Day Celebration

Hi everyone! The cloud of sickness and injury is SLOWLY leaving our home and I am now able to post a photo from the big celebration weekend. Derrik took me out for dinner on Friday and then was sweet enough to follow me around shopping (what a great husband!) I was served breakfast in bed on my birthday and then I had to get up and get ready to teach one music class for toddlers and their parents. When I got home, we took a picnic to the park and played soccer and handball with the boys. I was showered with cards and gifts from my wonderful family! Thanks to everyone who called and tried to connect with me that day! Mother's Day was nice and quiet. We invited Derrik's mom over for lunch and gave her a nice pot of flowers for their new place. I'm going to try and load a video of the family singing "happy birthday" to me the weekend before my birthday before Derrik's dad left for a job in Colorado.

We've been sick.....

Sorry to be so long in posting. We have all had a nasty cold and a case of pink eye! Yuck and double yuck! Also, I'm waiting for Derrik to fix something on the computer so I can post some photos from last weekends celebration. So, hang in there. I'll try and get some photos up in the next day or so.
Love to all!

Toothless grin and chalking up

Our big news of the week is that Cameron lost his front tooth! He has such a cute grin! He's growing up! I don't have a good excuse for the hair....he just likes the messy look, I guess!

Today I got a few shots of the boys outside with sidewalk chalk. The driveway is covered!


The house that Cameron drew for me! Looks nice and roomy....

Have a great weekend everyone! Love to all-

Spring Concert for the Kids Praise Choir

Our kids choir production was last night. I conducted the entire piece and had a lot of fun! I was more nervous about talking into the microphone to the parents afterward than directing! The kids did great and I was especially proud of Ethan who overcame some fears while preparing for his solo. He was one of the twin tablets (of the ten commandments) and did such a fabulous job! It feels so great to have that done!

Cowboy Festival

We attended the local Cowboy Festival at Melody Ranch on Saturday. It's a western film set where they filmed lots of old westerns like Gunsmoke and newer movies like Maverick and even the HBO series Deadwood. There was a museum and lots of boothes of western items to purchase. We saw ropers and many people in costume. Ashton stayed for a bit but headed home with the grandparents for a nap.

The boys enjoyed an ride on wooden horses. These horses were much more predictable.

Ethan eyeing the money left on the poker table from the Maverick set.

Stick 'em up! Cameron and John Wayne.

Cameron Hubbard as Daniel the Lion

Cameron was the highlight of the stage (wow, do I sound like his mom or what?) as Daniel the lion in his choir's performance of Creation Celebration on Sunday night. He had such a cute costume.


Ashton was so confused and didn't understand why he was wearing that!

We were so proud of him! Ethan's choir is performing next week with me directing all the music (ack!) and I will post photos from his performance as well. Have a great week everyone - love you!

Spring Break Day Five: Apple Valley, CA

For our final outing over Spring Break we went to see Derrik's cousin, Brian Entz and his family. He and his wife have two girls, Noa and Alyssa. The boys always look forward to seeing them and playing with all their toys! The highlight this visit was Noa's new hamster, Little Guy. Cameron was especially thrilled! Here are some photos.....

Ashton went down this slide 50 times to our knowledge. Over and over and over and over and over....

Cameron and Noa playing. Yes, Cameron is riding a motorcycle without a helmet.

Ethan pushing Alyssa on the swing. He took such good care of her!

Here is the hamster. Cameron broke out in a little rash after we visited there. I can only assume it was from playing with the hamster. Can you say "pet allergy?"
Now it's back to school and work! Vacation never lasts long enough!

Spring Break Day Four: The Los Angeles Zoo

The older boys and I joined some friends for a trip to the zoo. We saw all the usual residents including the zebra, ostrich, lion, alligator, kangaroo, and spiders. Here are some photos from the trip....

The boys enjoying ice cream after the visit.

Ethan and Cameron with a birdy friend behind them.....it's an ostrich!

Cameron with his favorite animal, the zebra.
The weather was perfect and the boys had a nice time. I have kept most of our trips this week a surprise to keep things interesting. I think they've enjoyed the suspense. (even though not knowing drove them crazy!) Stay tuned for our last day and see where we end up!